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Christian
Schools
are Too
Expensive
(Or So
They Say)
Over the
years I have spoken with many people who would love to have their
children in a Christian school if it wasn’t so expensive.
They often sigh wistfully and say, "We just can’t
afford it." The lack of funds seems to them to indicate that
the Lord is leading them to enroll their children in the public
school. I have never accepted the idea that Christian schools are
too expensive, and here is why.
Too
expensive? Compared to what? A mortgage will easily run
$700 a month. Car payments are often $500 a month. The
cost of baby-sitting a pre-schooler can run up to $400 a
month. One month’s tuition in a Christian school is
less than the cost of pre-school. That
is a pretty good deal!
A
Christian education is not an expense; it is an
investment.
You are investing in your children and their future. You
and they will reap the benefits both now and in eternity.
Yes, it is a lot of money, but is the return worth it?
Your children are the only treasure you have on earth
which you can take with you to heaven. Everything else
will either rot away or rust away. It makes more sense to
invest in your children than in a house or car.
You
get what you pay for. While public schools are
"free," we shouldn’t assume that they are
providing the same kind of education. They are not.
First, they cannot provide a foundation in the Word of
God for every subject they teach. They cannot provide
godly counsel and encouragement based upon the
Scriptures. They cannot teach about the real world as
created and upheld by the power of God. They cannot
support the values taught in your home; in fact, they
continually undermine them. Second, their humanistic
educational philosophy and their denial of the sinful
nature of man lead them to use methods of teaching and
discipline which are too often ineffectual. Christian
schools provide a very different and clearly superior
education both spiritually and academically.
Believe
it or not, you really can afford it. First, most Christian
schools have a financial aid program so that no child
will be denied a Christian education due to lack of
funds. Somehow, through the combined giving of the Body
of Christ, every child gets cared for. Second, God seldom
provides the money in advance. (If you had it, you’d
spend it!) Money is really not a problem for the Creator
of the Universe! Look at it this way: If it isn’t
God’s will to enroll your children in a Christian
school, then money isn’t a problem because you
won’t need it. And if it is God’s will for you
to enroll your children, then money is not a problem
because He will supply it! Either way, it is not a
problem. God has supplied for thousands
of others; He will do it for you!
You
can’t afford not to! Too many parents enroll their
children in a Christian school after their children begin
to experience difficulties in the public school.
Suddenly, they find the money they need because it has
become a necessity. I believe a Christian education
is a necessity not just for children with difficulties
but for all kids because it is academically sound and
morally right. Can you really afford to do
otherwise?
I
encourage you, then, to make your decision on the basis of
God’s Word and the quality of education you want for your
children. Pay what you can, and trust God for the rest.
Brian
Hazeltine, B.Ed., M.A.
Principal, Airdrie Koinonia Christian School
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